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I think one thing worth mentioning is the consistent myth that living in the city is generally more expensive than living in the suburbs.

Typically I hear people say, "I could never live in the city - just look at the taxes". This is usually true, taxes tend to by higher in cities. Apartment rent in major metropolitan areas also tend to be higher when compared to the suburbs. Yes, the local pub/restaurant will likely have higher price points compared to Applebees store number 002319.

But here's what's rarely mentioned:

1. Utilities: My roughly 1,000 square foot home is a hell of a lot cheaper to heat and cool compared to the 2,000 and 3,000 square foot homes common out in the counties.

2. Automobiles: As a city resident I pay maybe $25 a week in gas. I know people who commute from the exurbs and suburbs who are paying close to $100. In most major cities, owning a car is not a necessity due to public transit access. No car payment or insurance = $100's in savings each month. The car-centric design of suburban neighborhoods means that eventually you'll have to shell out money for your kids to each have a car as well.

3. Yard Maintenance: Not only does it take time, but you need to buy a lawn mower, a weedwacker, etc. not to mention fuel for everything. In the city, I don't have yard - nor do I need one. I walk to the park - and let my taxes worry about maintenance.

4. Home Maintenance: Has anyone every seen an estimate for a roof replacement of an early 2000s McMansion? We're likely talking tens of thousands of dollars. Compare that to the standard rubberized roof of row-houses today.

So yeah overall - in most cases - I think it's really a myth that the city is more expensive than the counties.

I grew up in a small, relatively isolated town my entire life, but was lucky enough to have traveled a fair bit as a kid. I saw how much more the world was outside of my little corner and yearned for more of it. I wanted to be in the heart of the action. As a closeted gay kid in a small, close-minded town, the city was my chance to begin my life.

I love being around all types of different things, and people with a broader view of the world. I love being able to walk or take the train to pretty much everywhere, and not having to keep a car has saved me big $$$. Being in the city has also given the chance to be at the forefront of my profession and work in a much more progressive, specialized area that is simply not available outside of major metros. On any given night of the week, there are dozens of bars and clubs to go to, cultural events, street festivals, you name it. The sheer amount of choices for literally everything is sometimes overwhelming, in a good way.

But most of all, it's the people. I feel like I am around more my kind of people since I've lived in the city, which growing up I never felt I was. That alone makes the ridiculous COL in the Northeast worth it.

I grew up in a suburb about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh, and one word - college. I lived in Oakland, the university center of Pittsburgh. I loved being able to walk to everything, and free public transportation made the deal even sweeter. As a 26 year old now, I live in a neighborhood adjacent to downtown, and it's fantastic. My ideal job is in the suburbs, which sucks - not because I'm such an urbanist that I have a disdain for the burbs, but because I have to drive to work.

I STILL live with my college roommates and they are city people for life, but eventually I will probably move to the suburbs because me and my fiancee aren't blind to the fact that our suburbs have some of the best public schools in the country. With that said, if I had chose the life of my roommates (single men not looking), I'd stay in the city forever. None of them drive to work (one takes the train to dowtown, one walks, one bikes). The walkability and activity here is just too good to leave.

I see his/her point. Living in the city is great, unless you want to have kids - I don't make 6 figs that I could send them to a private school where they could get the same education as the burbs. Some cities have good schools where this isn't an issue, but mine isn't.

You answered your question. You are in a relationship and don't care for the type of offerings city living can give you. You are not a city person.

Though to be fair, you can be a city person AND still be in a relationship or even have a family. I strongly prefer the amenities and lifestyle of city/inner suburban living to suburban and especially rural living, and I feel like I've experienced almost all of the primary types of living arrangements (e.g. inner city, city, inner-ring suburb, and suburb....though not rural).

I enjoyed reading all the replies, I think the majority of these can be summed up pretty easily:

1. By far, the most popular response was jobs/money. I can understand this as I actually have a job in the city (and 'live' there Monday-Thursday as a consultant), but again, what is the huge issue with working in the city and travelling outside the city to live?

A lot of people don't want to waste half their daily free time commuting to and from work. Also, a lot of young people socialize with their co-workers and go to happy hour after work, and don't want to deal with driving home after a few drinks. Ubering out to the burbs is uber expensive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodachrome919

2. The second most popular seemed to be "things to do". I see none of what was mentioned that can't be done in the burbs, but to each his own...

Again, cultural events, sports, and especially nightlife and restaurants are way better in most cities than in the burbs. Sure, you can commute in from the burbs, but you run into the same issue of spending a lot of time getting places (maybe 30 min rather than the hour plus during rush hour), and always having to worrying about how are going to get home, whether you can have a drink, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodachrome919

3. A good number also reaffirmed my own hypothesis, that many people move to the city to follow the crowd/look impressive to friends/family, etc. This seems crazy to me, but again, everyone is driven by different motivations.

Basically nobody has said this, it's just your bias. What people have said is that young, single people like to be around other young, single people. Not to 'look cool,' but because the dating pool is much deeper. In the suburbs, the dating pool largely consists of divorced people who got married young and have kids and people that can't afford their own apartment and live with their parents. There are many more single young people in the city, and most aren't going to choose to go out with people that live a half hour away when there are plenty of prospects close by.

The dating pool doesn't really matter to me anymore, but it did when I was younger/single. The biggest issue for me is the wasting of time driving places getting to my job, nice restaurants, cultural events, and seeing friends. I briefly lived in the suburbs with a friend for a few weeks while I was waiting to move into a new apartment after my old lease was up. It was such a hassle to get anywhere, I ended up missing out on a lot of fun activities with friends. You can't really be spontaneous in the burbs because it takes so much time and planning to get into town. That text from your friends that they decided last minute to go grab dinner, you can't join, because by the time you drive in and find parking, they're pretty much done eating.

Sorry, but there were actually quite a few posters (earlier in the thread) that have mentioned this...it is obviously not just me thinking it. I think a lot of people like to lie to themselves a bit as to the true reason(s) they are really in the city.

As for the 'convenience' factor of being able to do things spontaneously with friends, in my case, having many friends who live in the 'burbs myself, it is actually very easy to hop in a car and drive to them, or vice versa. I suppose if all of your friends live downtown, then it's another story...but doesn't that just confirm my hypothesis that all this is just following the crowd (i.e. your friends).

Again, I think for someone moving to a new area for work, and then wanting to form a new friend group, it makes sense just because of the sheer density of young people in the city, but other than that situation, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me for you and your friends to pack up and move to the city together just so you don't have to taxi home after a night out of drinking. Now if you drink every night, then I can see where this becomes an issue, although that in and of itself is already a bit of an issue if you know what I mean...

Sorry, but there were actually quite a few posters (earlier in the thread) that have mentioned this...it is obviously not just me thinking it. I think a lot of people like to lie to themselves a bit as to the true reason(s) they are really in the city.

As for the 'convenience' factor of being able to do things spontaneously with friends, in my case, having many friends who live in the 'burbs myself, it is actually very easy to hop in a car and drive to them, or vice versa. I suppose if all of your friends live downtown, then it's another story...but doesn't that just confirm my hypothesis that all this is just following the crowd (i.e. your friends).

Again, I think for someone moving to a new area for work, and then wanting to form a new friend group, it makes sense just because of the sheer density of young people in the city, but other than that situation, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me for you and your friends to pack up and move to the city together just so you don't have to taxi home after a night out of drinking. Now if you drink every night, then I can see where this becomes an issue, although that in and of itself is already a bit of an issue if you know what I mean...

It's a little silly to think that people are lying to themselves if they prefer to live in the city for reasons you don't understand. The fun thing is, how other people choose to live doesn't have to make any sense to you or to anyone. As long as it makes sense to them and they live a meaningful and productive life, who really cares in all honesty?

Ambitious people in high powered professions that require a lot of networking also need to be in cities. Suburbs and rural areas are far inferior opportunity wise.

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